Single Idea 23688

[catalogued under 22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 1. Nature of Ethics / f. Ethical non-cognitivism]

Full Idea

Noncognitivism is an attempt to avoid the alleged problems of naturalism without the mysteries of Moore's non-naturalism.

Clarification

'Noncognitivism' means morality does not involve knowledge

Gist of Idea

Noncognitivism tries to avoid both naturalism and mysterious morality

Source

John Hacker-Wright (Philippa Foot's Moral Thought [2013], 1)

Book Reference

Hacker-Wright,John: 'Philippa Foot's Moral Thought' [Bloomsbury 2013], p.10


A Reaction

R.M. Hare is the best example of this approach. Moore's Open Question argument was said to prove the Naturalistic Fallacy, which imagined that morality could be a feature of nature. It led Moore to platonism. I prefer Philippa Foot.

Related Ideas

Idea 11057 It is always an open question whether anything that is natural is good [Moore,GE]

Idea 11056 The naturalistic fallacy claims that natural qualties can define 'good' [Moore,GE]